From: libertidad@south.south.com   
      
   On Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:50:56 +0100, slider    
   wrote:   
      
   >### - well here we go, let's see what's happenin' in the old 'Wallyworld   
   >Herald Gazette today hehe ;)   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >PARIS -France accused U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday of stabbing it   
   >in the back and acting like his predecessor Donald Trump after Paris was   
   >pushed aside from a historic defence export contract to supply Australia   
   >with submarines.   
   >   
   >The United States, Britain and Australia announced they would establish a   
   >security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will help Australia acquire   
   >U.S. nuclear-powered submarines and scrap the $40 billion French-designed   
   >submarine deal.   
   >   
   >“This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of   
   >what Mr Trump used to do,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told   
   >franceinfo radio. “I am angry and bitter. This isn’t done between   
   allies.”   
   >   
   >It is the latest dramatic twist in a contest that has seen naval   
   >shipbuilding powers battle for years over what many observers called the   
   >world’s largest single arms export deal.   
   >   
   >In 2016, Australia had selected French shipbuilder Naval Group to build a   
   >new submarine fleet worth $40 billion to replace its more than   
   >two-decades-old Collins submarines.   
   >   
   >Just two weeks ago, the Australian defence and foreign ministers had   
   >reconfirmed the deal to France, and French President Emmanuel Macron   
   >lauded decades of future cooperation when hosting Australian Prime   
   >Minister Scott Morrison in June.   
   >   
   >“It’s a stab in the back. We created a relationship of trust with   
   >Australia and that trust has been broken,” Le Drian said.   
   >   
   >French relations with the United States soured during the presidency of   
   >Trump, who often irritated European allies by demanding they increase   
   >their defence spending to help NATO while reaching out to adversaries like   
   >Russia and North Korea.   
   >   
   >Diplomats say there have been concerns in recent months that Biden is not   
   >being forthright with his European allies.   
   >   
   >The French Embassy in Washington said it was cancelling a gala event   
   >related to French-U.S. ties on Friday following the day’s events.   
   >   
   >France’s ties with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have also soured   
   >over the UK’s exit from the European Union.   
   >   
   >Washington’s actions in Australia are likely to further strain   
   >transatlantic ties, political analysts said. The European Union was due to   
   >roll out its Indo-Pacific strategy on Thursday and Paris is poised to take   
   >on the EU presidency.   
   >   
   >“This is a clap of thunder and for many in Paris a Trafalgar moment,”   
   >Bruno Tertrais, Deputy Director of the Paris-based think tank the   
   >Foundation of Strategic Research said on Twitter, referring to a French   
   >naval defeat in 1805 that was followed by a long period of British naval   
   >supremacy.   
   >   
   >He said it would “complicate the transatlantic cooperation in and about   
   >the region. Beijing will benefit.”   
   >   
   >U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said France was a   
   >“vital partner” in the Indo-Pacific region and that Washington would   
   >continue to cooperate with Paris, comments that appeared aimed at calming   
   >French anger.   
   >   
   >Those comments are likely to fall on deaf ears in the immediate term.   
   >   
   >A French official said they had not been informed of the deal until a few   
   >hours before it was announced and that Paris would not fooled by   
   >platitudes.   
   >   
   >Morrison said Australia looked forward to continuing to work “closely and   
   >positively” with France, adding: “France is a key friend and partner to   
   >Australia and the Indo-Pacific.”   
   >   
   >‘JAW-DROPPING‘   
   >   
   >It is the second setback to French defence exports in three months after   
   >Switzerland spurned Dassault’s Rafale to buy U.S.-made Lockheed Martin   
   >F-35 fighters.   
   >   
   >Analysts said the loss of the much bigger submarine contract was a   
   >significant blow to France, whose experienced arms sales machine had gone   
   >all out to wrest the submarine deal from likely winner Japan under then   
   >defence minister Le Drian in 2016.   
   >   
   >Germany had also been in the race.   
   >   
   >The 2016 win came a decade after France radically overhauled the way it   
   >handled arms sales following Paris’ embarrassment over the loss of a   
   >contest to sell fighters to Morocco.   
   >   
   >Word of its cancellation dominated Europe’s largest arms fair in London   
   >where one delegate called it “jaw-dropping”.   
   >   
   >France’s Thales, which analysts say stood to gain about $1 billion from   
   >sales of sonars and optronics – the eyes and ears of the French submarines   
   >– swiftly reassured investors its 2021 finances would not be hit.   
   >   
   >But some analysts warned France’s furious reaction over the Australian   
   >contract could backfire and noted there had been reports of Australian   
   >doubts over the pace of implementation.   
   >   
   >Thales, which owns 35% of Naval Group, remains Australia’s biggest local   
   >defence contractor through a subsidiary.   
   >   
   >“Betrayal is the wrong language and hurts France’s position in Australia;   
   >it can poison the well,” said UK-based defence analyst Francis Tusa,   
   >adding France would now be more reliant on selling Rafales to secure its   
   >place in the global arms market.   
   >   
   >### - oh dear oh dear, trumpy becoming a byword these days in cut-throat   
   >'unpleasantness' in this part of the world... and well yes, was a bit   
   >naive of france to think the uk was just gonna SIT there letting a big FAT   
   >40-fucking BILLION! contract pass them by like that? are ya fuckin' NUTS   
   >or wot?? lol, as IF!? huge sharks were all in the water circling for a   
   >feast of THAT nature!   
   >   
   >but it's nada ah personal france (cough-cough) it's just, erm, business,   
   >right? (sarcasm heh)   
   >   
   >besides, we're on our own here now and you still have the back-up of the   
   >european union to bail ya's ass out of a sling if'n ya's ever gets into   
   >trouble innit, a luxury we no longer enjoy after brexit, so what did ya   
   >really expect then when it comes to pullin-off a deal behind the scenes of   
   >THAT magnitude huh? lol we fuckin' 'invented' australia ya cunt! did ya's   
   >really think we don't still have some connections there?? well duh! (all   
   >the nobs in their private clubs tap their brandy glasses in jovial   
   >grinning agreement, and then stand to toast in unison: *As IF!* hahaha...)   
   >   
   >(france glowers at the uk calling them all the shits under the sun: les   
   >cheatin' cunts vous!)   
   >   
   >pure gangster stuff really... i mean, if'n THIS is how NATIONS openly   
   >behave with each other, is it any wonder then that their respective   
   >citizens are also ALL digging each others eyes out and cut-throating as   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)